The GoldenEye 20th anniversary is coming

It’s nearly 20 years since the release of GoldenEye, and here at Digital Fox, we’re still as in love as ever.

Is GoldenEye the greatest video game of all time? Probably not. But it may just be the most loved.

For anyone who ever owned a Nintendo 64 (has anyone figured out why the remote has three handles yet?) the James Bond themed first-person shooter was a must have.

Hubba hubba, I’m already excited. Source: YouTube.

Its levels were challenging, but simultaneously achievable, giving players the satisfactory feeling of completion, even if you actually sucked. It’s characters were all recognisable from the movie franchise. And it contained – or still contains – some intangible magic that makes it compete even today with the very best in first-person shooters.

And let’s not forget multiplayer. Ahh, multiplayer. Like many multiplayer games, GoldenEye supplied the perfect platform for banter.

Playing it now, you can’t help but laugh at the shaky graphics and gameplay. But somehow, it just works.

GoldenEye is timeless. And for that reason, a few of our writers have chosen to reminisce.

What was your favourite level?

JBM: Boy oh boy did I enjoy killing some sailors in Frigate. This map is the perfect size for anarchy. Not too big; not too small. Also, there’s something special about blowing shit up on a boat. Is that just me? I doubt it.

Tom: It’s got to be The Train. Plenty of cover, automatic weapons galore, and a great little scene at the end where if you’re super quick you can actually kill Trevelyan. Great to use the laser on the watch at the end as well.

Jules: Temple. I loved running into the massive rooms and getting a little crazy with a rocket launcher.

Flashback Friday. The Train level is iconic. Source: YouTube.

What was your favourite weapon?

JBM: I want to say throwing knifes to sound cool, but I’m gonna have to choose the P90. This gun is by far the yummiest. It sprays bullets better than any other and fully fits its label of ‘power weapon’. And while it may not be as powerful as a rocket or grenade launcher, it doesn’t take a few seconds to reload. Let’s be real, reloading is the worst thing about anything ever.

Tom: Rocket Launcher. Get hold of that and you’re tough to take down.

Jules: It has to be throwing knives. There’s nothing like taking down the enemy before they know what’s hit them.

Ahh GoldenEye, the only place where bringing a knife to a gun fight is perfectly acceptable. Source: YouTube.

What was your favourite character?

JBM: Xenia Onatopp. This lady can take on the biggest and baddest. More like Xenia OnToppOfHerGame. OnAToppLevel. OnToppOfBondKillingHim. You get the point.

Tom: I just went with Bond. It’s hard not to choose the man himself.

Jules: No question: Siberian Guard. He is definitely the most unassuming – and with me behind the controller, the deadliest too.

Take your pick. Source: RealGamer.

What was your favourite glitch?

JBM: This is less a glitch and more a cheat, but I used to use every cheat available. Invincibility, invisibility, unlimited ammo, paintball mode. It was fun until it got really really boring and I started to question my entire life. Also the half walking through walls thing was classic.

Tom: I had a huge disappointment when completing the game for the first time. Somehow I managed to kill Trevelyan before going down to the very last platform, meaning I didn’t get to see him fall, or Bond jump in the helicopter. The helicopter hovered and then flew off. And that was it. Talk about an anti-climax.

Jules: If you go to the cheats screen and turn on slow animation, heaps of the cut scenes begin to stuff up. You’ll end up watching Bond shoot aimlessly into the air for minutes on end. Glorious.

Walls are just a mindset. Source: Angelfire.

If you love GoldenEye as much as we do and happen to live in Melbourne, head down to Flinders Lane’s Bartronica Bar on Tuesday the 6th of December for a night of serious GoldenEye warfare. If you’re lucky, you may be even able to challenge the Digital Fox crew. And lose. Obviously. Sign up below.